BooksI would have wanted to read more but I was always distracted, so this year I vow to at least make an effort to read more, and to stop reading books if it bores me. Here are my favorite books for 2013:

I was laughing and crying while reading this. It had intrigue, romance, humor and action and I really loved reading about the love story of the author and the illustrator. Plus points for the beautiful illustrations. Extra plus points for the cats.

Got this from Booksale, since I like books with lots of food in it. I didn't expect that it would affect me so much. I might have been pms-ing when I finished it in one sitting, but at the end, my eyes were all puffy from crying sad and happy tears. I liked how it ended, how it was sort of like a book version of Love, Actually, but with more food. Cheesy and sweet, but I like it that way! I was looking for an ensaymada read that night and this was it. No regrets!

Have you read the works of Eliza Victoria? If you have, yay! If you haven't, you're missing out! Check out her works via her blog.I love this book because she managed to write a fast-paced, interesting sci-fi/spec fic story set in RP that's smart and provocative without fattening it up with headache-inducing mumbo jumbo.

Movies:

FrozenHello lgbtq metaphor! Finally, no princes! Finally, a heroine who actually saves herself! Through her family/friends and through love! Gasp! This is my favorite movie for 2013 and my fave Disney movie as of now and the closest I could get to making my queer protagonist Disney dreams come true so I'll take it. YES!

Les MizI listened to the cassette tape of the Les Miz musical growing up during road trips and my dad, while driving, told us the story (because I liked books but I also have an extremely short attention span) and I dreamt of finally seeing a musical movie of it and I did and I cried and it was glorious.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugWatched this by my lonesome because I couldn't wait for company and I have no regrets, I loved it so much. I read the book ages ago (I liked it more than the LOTR trilogy books because it's easier to understand, heh) but since I have the memory-keeping skills of a goldfish, I was still surprised at a lot of parts. If you heard audible gasps in the theater when you watched this, that was probably me, haha.

Hunger Games: Catching FireIt was better than what I expected and I like it when that happens.

Moonrise KingdomTwee Kingdom filled me with the giddies and I watched this thrice within a week because it's just so gorgeous.

Music:

I don't really care if some songs weren't released last year, these are the songs that gave me all the feels and made me feel the most:

Tegan and Sara: Closer, Drove Me WildLorde: TeamThe National: HumiliationUp Dharma Down: Turn It WellMetric: Breathing UnderwaterStars: Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It

TV shows:

BuffyThe gf and I did a rewatch of Buffy Season 7. We're both big Buffsters and I forgot how wimpy I was, but now I know again. Scary, heart-pounding stuff. I think it was more frightening this time because the issues are more grown-uppy and we marathon-watched it so the adrenaline high from each ep never left. Also, Kennedy is still annoying and will always be.

Parks and RecBecause I want to live in a place where there are nice parks and I want to actually work there and work with Leslie Knope. I'm imagining us crafting together after work, making decoupage rah-rah plaques for the best employees and baking leaf-shaped cookies.

Etc:

Recently, I've been obsessed with online comics. I dream of consistently coming up with witty, queercentric comics with that local flavor but alas I lack the wit/skills and the time to hone that "interesting funniness" factor. So for the meantime, I've been living vicariously through these fine folks from the internets.

I've been stalking the uber-talented Mich because of her fantastic comics and I got to meet her at the Metric concert! I didn't know it was her but you can be assured that fangirling abounded when the introductions were made. Hello, Mich!

Kate Beaton of Hark, a vagrant rocks my socks. Laughing while learning and learning while laughing? Yes, please! I want to be her in my next life. Check out her awesome tumblr as well!

I would like to be as hilarious and artistic as Madeleine, and be a member of her pixie haircut club and vanquish baddies with sass and personality.

I started this year with a declaration, like what I did with previous years. For 2013, I declared it to be "The Year of Wonder and Magic". I wanted to see the world with fresh eyes and find magic in unexpected places. It was a vague wish but the 'fleshing out' part was the best. I trusted the Universe to read my mind and she just, got me, you know? She knew me more than I knew myself, and gave me more than I could ever hope for. The New-Agey predictions all told me how lucky this year would be for me and I had my arms wide open for every sparkling opportunity, every chance encounter with lady luck.

Looking at my previous posts at the start of the year, I realized how much I missed telling stories via lj and sharing with this wonderful community. My lj-friends are so loving and warm and there's no community like the lj community. For 2014, I vow to still update my wordpress and instagram, but to never abandon lj, despite the hassle of uploading pics. Maybe a once a week post if I'm not too lazy, heh. I can't wait for more adventures this coming year! :)

P.S. I promise to update my online bookblog/bookclub site more often too! Join me there?

I’m so in love with magazines.I love how it feels when you get to meet a new mag that just speaks to you, the kind that understands all your quirks and obsessions, the kind that makes you think “Where have you been all my life?”The feeling is priceless when you discover a magazine that you love about a topic that you’re passionate about. I know that’s how I felt when I first got my hands on magazines that made me feel like it was made for me: Bust, Bitch, Readymade, Oh Comely, Frankie, Lula, Martha Stewart Living and Venus Zine, among many others. In reading them, I felt connected and I instantly felt like I had new friends–new idols, new books/movies/music/noms to discover, new places to visit and most importantly, new eyes.With the act of reading about a topic I am already passionate about, I get to learn so much more and appreciate what I already love.

It doesn’t seem surprising then, that I added “Create an online zine with a fun theme per issue with things I love and think others will love too” to my grand bucket list.I dreamt of a zine called “Matchstick”, and even had my graphic designer friend create a logo for it. I contacted friends who might be interested and started coming up with stories, but life somehow got in the way. That dream still lived though. Years later, the universe would be placing me in a serendipitous situation where I would finally get to fulfill that dream.

Together with my friends, Geli, Allie, Aya and Cachi, we came up with a magazine called Katha. Since we all love arts and crafts and good design, Katha is filled with that and more–as we’ve mentioned in our FB page, “Katha Magazine celebrates Filipino creatives and their boundless imagination.”

Today we release our very first issue. I can’t be more proud of our baby! Thanks to everyone who helped us create this, we’re so grateful! Thank you also to my lovely friends from the Katha team! Work seems like play with these girls. :)

I hope that when you read it it brings a smile to your face and that it inspires you to create, collaborate and share your passion with the world.

While mourning the death of my Vivitar camera, I remembered how I was given a basic point and shoot camera as a birthday gift when I was a young girl. I wasn’t able to use it that much since I had no budget for film back then. I still have no budget now, haha, but I am blessed with generous friends (Thanks D and G!) who share their film rolls with me. I wish I could have unlimited film and free film developing. However, since it’s more pricey than digital photos, I like how it forces you to commit to a memory, and fast: What would I love remembering–this moment before I blow the candles on my cake with all my guests expectantly grinning at me, the moment of the actual candle-blowing with the singing on the background, the pleasant taste of the most delicious cake I’ve ever tasted?

I find myself budgeting my shots and forgetting about my film rolls. In an effort to save, I stash my used film rolls in a bag somewhere, with the goal of having the lot (cheaper in bulk) developed and delivered to me by my beloved Digiprint. Alas, Digiprint is no more, and I am left with undeveloped rolls and a bit of regret about the wasted time.

However! Fuijifilm still develops film, and even if they cost more than what Digiprint used to charge, I still feel happy that my memories could return to me with all the dreamy haze that only a film photo could provide.

Here, then, are snapshots from my beloved Manila, a slice of everyday: